Christmas in the Forest. Cihlar & Holschuh

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      Christmas in the Forest

      Translated from the original version

      “Die Heilige und ihr Narr”

       Introductory chapter of

      “The Saint and her Fool”

      Introduction

      On a magical Christmas Eve, deep in the forest, the impoverished Count Harro von Thorstein sees the young Princess Rosemarie for the first time. She has fled from her golden cage in Castle Brauneck, where the delicate child was raised since the death of her mother without love.

      Sensing a lost soul, much as himself, Harro gains the trust of this angelic child. He is spellbound by her strong emotions and fatalistic mind, which seem much too vivid for such a young girl.

      Harro is a lonely man, who lives as an artist with his faithful servant in the dark ruins of his castle, but light comes into his world as he finds his little “Saint Rose”.

      Prologue

      "A unique book" - this is how the 1913 published novel Die Heilige und ihr Narr by Agnes Günther (1863-1911) has been described. Still being in print today with the 144^th edition and translated into eleven languages, indeed proves the exceptional success of this book.

      Only the first chapter had been printed during the author’s lifetime, as a separate Christmas edition on Dec 24^th in 1908 in "The Christian World ", and was thereafter repeatedly brought out as a special edition.

      Resuming this tradition, Adelheid Cihlar and Sabine Holschuh , now present the first chapter in English – a task that has been long overdue.

      Agnes Günther has aptly described our beautiful homeland Hohenlohe with all its benefits.

      I wish the readers of this booklet much enjoyment – in pleasant anticipation of the completion, “The Saint and her Fool”.

      Bibliographic information published by the National Library: The German National Library lists this publication in the detailed national bibliographic data, available online at http://dnb.d-nb.de.

      This book is also available in the German language:

      “Waldweihnacht”, ISBN 978-3-8442-3436-7

      Agnes Günther: Die Heilige und ihr Narr (Chapter 1)

      Original Edition (Erstausgabe) 1913,

      English Translation:

      Adelheid Cihlar, Sabine Holschuh

      Imprint:

      Translation copyright © 2012:

      Adelheid Cihlar, Sabine Holschuh

      Lector: Hamida Aziz

      All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction, in whole or in part, in any form.

      Print and publisher: epubli GmbH, Berlin

      Also available in printed version with

      ISBN 978-3-8442-3634-7

      For more information:

      www.maeuslegeschichten.de

      www.4ma-holschuh.de

      Acknowledgement

      We would like to express our deepest thanks to Heide Ruopp, who lives in Langenburg, Germany - the original site of the story. Her passion for the book “Die Heilige und ihr Narr”, written by Agnes Günther, has inspired us to the heights and depths necessary to not only translate, yet feel and be part of the story. She was indeed the soul, eyes and the voice of the author, bringing her back to life for us.

      We also thank the artist, Susanne Rudolph, for the magnificent drawing of this introductory chapter. She was able to capture not only the dramatic atmosphere of the surroundings, but has also brought our little “Saint Rose” to visible life.

      Our utmost dedication belongs to our beloved families for supporting us in thoughts and actions; giving us the insight needed to accomplish this dream.